


Blood Moon

by The_girlwholived



Category: Twilight
Genre: F/F, everynightipraytostephaniemeyer, iadoreeverything, ihaverobpatterson'sfaceonabra, ilovetwilightsomuch, renesmeeisthebestnameeverfightme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-05 22:51:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15181094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_girlwholived/pseuds/The_girlwholived
Summary: With vampire parents and a slight thirst for blood, Renesmee Cullen has always known she was different from the other kids. She has always accepted the world around her as just the way it is, but it's only as she officially turns eighteen that questions begin to pop up in her mind.Questions like how she was even conceived, why everyone around her acts like a badly written cliche character, why her mother's creepy friend somehow has the idea that they're meant to be together, and, most of all, why she has the crappiest name she's ever heard.





	1. Chapter 1

Renesmee Cullen woke up on her eighteenth birthday and felt…. _odd_. It wasn’t like what everyone said, that she magically felt that she was now a woman, that she was now an adult. No, she felt odd because she had begun to wonder lately what the point of everything was.  
It was strange. She had lived all her life not questioning a single thing, and now in the runup to being eighteen, she had begun to question everything.

  
She padded into the bathroom and had a shower, then peered at herself in the mirror. There wasn’t difference. The change wasn’t physical, at least. She still looked the same as ever, pale skin and tawny eyes, dark hair. The only thing was that she had a new pimple on the bridge of her long nose. She scowled at it. It just figured that, as a half vampire, she didn’t get the cool powers. She had enhanced speed, which for a couch potato wasn’t a lot. She had fangs, which only came in handy at Halloween because she refused on principle to drink even animal blood. It was just ick, and when she didn’t need to, why should she? She had grown up quick at first, looking about six years old when she was only a year. She didn’t remember this, of course, but there were photos, and thankfully she had settled down at about five years old, by which point she looked ten. She had the pale skin, a little of the strength, but somehow the “enhanced beauty” part had skipped her completely. It wasn’t fair to live in a house of beautiful vampires and be the only one who was a bit ugly. Suddenly something dawned on her, and she gaped at herself in the mirror.

  
_Oh my God. How was I even born?_

  
She went to school, was graduating in a few months. She’d sat through the awkward videos and Biology classes. Vampires were technically dead. They shouldn’t even have sperm.  
But there was no denying that her dad was her dad, because Bella had been human when she had had her and Renesmee was definitely part vampire.   
_Is this what adulthood is like?_ She wondered briefly to herself. Was adulthood having an existential crisis every morning when you looked in the mirror? She hoped not. Downstairs, she heard the opening strains of the piano and sighed. One morning. There could never be just one morning where her father _wasn’t_ perfectly playing the piano.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Downstairs, her grandmother Esme made her breakfast while her father played “Happy Birthday” on the piano and her mother gave her a cold kiss to the forehead. She knew better than to ask the question she had been wondering about. It seemed like whenever she mentioned things like that she veered from an invisible script and everyone suddenly went weird.  
“Happy Birthday, sweetheart,” Bella told her. Bella Swan had always been beautiful, even when she was a human. She peered at her daughter’s face.

  
“You’ve got a spot on your nose, sweetiepie.”

  
“I know, Mom. I’ll put some concealer on later.”

  
Bella smoothed her hair. “Good. Jacob is coming over later for your birthday dinner and you want to look your best.”

  
Behind her mother’s back, Renesmee made a face. Jacob was weird. He had been her best friend as a kid, but hey, as a kid she hadn’t known any better. It was a little suspicious when a guy in his thirties was still hanging around a teenage girl, though her parents seemed to find nothing wrong with it.  
Esme put a plate of pancakes in front of her and as she thanked her, she smiled.

  
“No problem, honey – oh Jasper, those are for Nessie!”

  
Renesmee twitched. She had begun to hate that nickname.  
“Sorry,” Jasper said, his mouth full as he had stolen one of her pancakes. “I can’t help it, it’s just who I am, haha.”

  
He laughed. Renessme stared at him and wondered if she was going crazy. Who unironically said haha before they laughed? It was weird. Why was she only noticing this now?  
Emmett entered the room and sat down on a chair, tossing a ball from hand to hand because that was his thing as the resident family jock.

  
“Rosalie’s wrapping your present,” he told Renesmee.

  
“Presents after breakfast,” Carlisle said sternly, gently patting her hair as he passed. He never actually ruffled it, because that would make her look a little less nice.

Renesmee got good presents from her family, nice clothes, nice jewellery. From her mother she got several Shakespeare books and mumbled thanks, not wanting to admit that she didn’t like Shakespeare or classics in general. She liked horror and science fiction, but her mother seemed obsessed with making her just like herself when she was a teenager.  
They set up the garden, stringing fairylights around until the balmy September evening looked beautiful. Jacob arrived just before the food was served. They didn’t need to eat, of course, but did it to keep up appearances.  
He looked nervous, wearing a leather jacket and jeans, but smiled at her. “Happy Birthday, Nessie.”

  
She gave a stiff smile and as he kissed her cheek, she resisted the urge to wipe it.

  
“So Jacob,” said Bella, daintily twirling spaghetti around her fork. “Did you bring the special present for Renesmee?”  
He patted his jacket pocket and grinned. “Sure did.”

  
She wondered what Jacob had got her. Usually it was jewellery, typically a charm for her bracelet. Last year she’d gotten a dog’s paw, and it dangled on her wrist. Out of habit, she looked down, gently running her fingers over them. There was a silver wolf, a boat, a heart, a fairy….they all jingled on her wrist as she moved.

  
Jacob waited until after desert to give her her present. Desert was birthday cake, but as usual her mom warned her not to eat too much. Bella was obsessive about Renesmee looking perfect.

  
“Okay,” Jacob said. “Could someone move the table?”

  
Without getting up, Emmett grinned lazily, lifted the table up with one hand and hurled it into the trees, where there was a crash.

  
“Emmett!” Esme scolded, but they were laughing, because Emmett was such a scoundrel. Renesmee’s forehead wrinkled as she watched them, because she honestly sometimes wondered if she was living with aliens. Or maybe she was the alien. Rosalie put her hands on her hips. “Emmett,” she said. “You are such a scoundrel.”

  
Almost word for word. Spooky.

  
“You have to stand,” Jacob said, and Renesmee stood uncertainly, the cool night air playing with her hair.

She was horribly aware that everyone was looking at her expectantly. Esme was smiling, her eyes practically stars. Jasper was grinning as he said something to Edward, who laughed. Bella was smiling, Rosalie was still scolding Emmett, and the only person that looked out of place was Alice. She was frowning. But Alice could tell the future.  
Jacob took off his jacket, then his shirt, til he was barechested. She wrinkled her nose. It seemed he took every opportunity to take off his shirt.

  
He took a small box out of his pocket and then, slowly, he bent to one knee. Renesmee froze. She heard someone sighing happily and someone else whispering, “So romantic.”

  
She hoped he was not going to do what she thought he was. Please no. Please, please, please, please –  
Jacob smiled at her with perfect white teeth and flipped open the box. Inside, a ring shone, inset with what she was pretty sure was diamond.

  
“Nessie,” he said. “Will you marry me?”

  
Renesmee stared. She waited for them to say it was a joke. But nobody did. Her parents and the others were still watching happily. Something in the distance hooted. And she, very distinctly, heard Alice say, “No, wait-“

  
“No!” She said, and Jacob’s smile disappeared.

  
“Excuse me?”

  
“No!” She said, and she laughed shakily, like it was a joke. “No, I won’t marry you.”

  
“But honey!” Bella said, rising from the table and looking stunned. “He bought you that ring, sweetheart! He loves you!”

  
“Yes,” Jacob said, looking miserable. “I love you.”

  
“But I don’t love you,” she said, and searched among the faces for an ally, but there was none. They all looked stunned.

  
“But he loves you,” Rosalie whispered. “Ever since you were a baby.”

  
“Seriously? That’s – that’s so messed up!”

  
“It’s true,” Jacob got slowly to his feet. “I imprinted on you. I loved you, I still do. I knew we would one day be together.”

  
“That’s so fucking creepy!”

  
“Language!” Esme snapped, and she looked at her. “Grandma, don’t you think this is creepy?”

  
“No, I think it’s a lovely gesture by a lovely man, sweetiepie.”

  
“I imprinted on you,” Jacob repeated, like it would make her change her mind.

  
“I don’t care! You’re thirty six! I’m eighteen!”

  
He looked confused, like his brain was only just catching on to the fact that she was saying no. “But – but I love you!”

  
“I don’t care!”

  
She heard Alice whimper and turned to see her clutching her head. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be!” She cried. “This isn’t aligning with my fanfiction at all!”

  
“Renesmee,” her father said accusingly. “Look what you’ve done to your aunt. I am _ashamed_.”

  
“Don’t any of you see how messed up this is?” She asked in amazement, then gave a shaky laugh. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t, since you’re the vampires that continuously go to high school for no reason. And you, how the hell do you even have sperm? How was I made?”

  
“Renesmee!” Bella snapped. “You have gone too far, young lady! What have I told you all your life? You need to live by what the books and fanfics say!”

  
“But what if I don’t want to?”

  
There was a collective gasp.

  
“You have to,” Carlisle said coldly. “Or else you are not part of this family anymore.”

  
She didn’t know what to do. Jacob was still staring, still looking confused.

  
“Look what you’ve done to poor Jacob!” Rosalie snapped at her. “You’ve broken his heart!”

  
Jacob clutched at his bare chest and whimpered. “I’ve never….been rejected before….I mean-“

  
He straightened up. “You have to love me. Remember when you were little and you said you would marry me when you grew up?”

  
There was a murmur of agreement.

  
“I was six!”

  
He stepped closer. “I love you, so you are mine.”

  
“Piss off, Jacob!"

  
“I love you!”

  
“Well I don’t!” She screamed back, and she picked up her chair and waved it at him. “If you take one more fucking step I _will_ hit you!”

  
She looked around at her family, who all looked like disapproving plastic dolls.

  
“Renesmee,” Carlisle said, his tone at sub zero. “If you don’t say yes to him you will not be part of this family any more.”

  
She took heaving breaths, but it was an easy choice. Renesmee threw the chair at Jacob and streaked off into the woods.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

It was a long time before she stopped running. She couldn’t hear anyone after her, so she allowed herself to slow down deep into the woods. She couldn’t believe that had just happened. She just couldn’t fucking believe that Jacob had actually been creepy enough to do that, and her family had gone along with it. In fact, they’d always known about it. He had looked at her as a baby, as a small child, and had thought that one day they would be married. He had looked at a tiny baby and had one day imagined that he would have _sex with her_. The thought was enough to make her feel physically ill.  
The woods were empty. No animals made an appearance, no doubt warned off by her scent. Animals didn’t tend to like her, which totally sucked because she liked them. She remembered being a young child and trying to pet a kitten only for it to completely freak out and scratch all up her arms.

  
Stupid parents. Stupid vampires. Stupid fucking Jacob….  
Renesmee picked up a stick and dragged it through the mud, quietly seething. She didn’t know what to do now. She couldn’t go home. The thought wasn’t as frightening to her as she thought. She loved her family, of course she did, but they were….cold. It was hard to explain. They acted like badly written characters all the time, only loving her as long as she played by stupid invisible rules she didn’t even know were there. For most of her life she had played by those rules, but marrying Jacob? Absolutely not.

  
She wasn’t really intending on going anywhere, and didn’t notice she was going further into the woods. It didn’t really matter anyway. She was as safe as if she had been walking through a sunlit field filled with people. She had lightning fast reflexes and fangs that could rip a person’s throat out, if she wanted to. Not that she did. The thought of killing someone made her feel ill. She had only drank human blood once, but it had been so intoxicating that she never wanted to again. She didn’t need much blood to survive, just a pint or so once a week. Hey, some teenagers drank healthy smoothies in the morning, Renesmee drank animal blood.   
She tried to compensate by not eating meat, but it was hard to explain that you were a vegetarian except for when you drank the blood.

  
Without noticing, she had ended up in a shady clearing. There was a small house in the middle of it. Only one light danced within. Obviously the inhabitant knew light drew things you didn’t want.  
Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound. It was awfully convenient, but perhaps the fanfic gods were still smiling down on her. Anyway, if it turned out to be a murderer she could be out of there fast.  
Renesmee knocked on the door. “Hello?”

  
She waited a long time, but nobody answered, so she tried the handle. The door opened easily, leading her into a small room. There were the kitchen necessities, a small table with two chairs, a battered sofa and a TV that didn’t look like it worked. There was another room off it, so Renesmee moved forward gingerly to a bedroom. It looked like only one person lived here, probably a woman, she amended, as she noticed the bra on the bed. Unless it was a guy who liked to wear bras. She wasn’t judging. The light was on in the bathroom.

  
“Um, hello?” Renesmee called. “I’m kind of lost? I’m sorry I came in without in – oomph!”

  
Something heavy hit her head with a clang, and Renesmee rolled to the ground. She should have been able to get up again, but she was dazed.

  
“Christ,” she mumbled. “What the fuck?”

  
The assailant had a towel wrapped around her head, and another wrapped around her body. Slim brown arms grasped a frying pan.

  
“A frying pan?” She said weakly. “Seriously?”

  
“It’s a good weapon,” the women said defensively. “What are you doing in my cabin?”

  
“I got lost, I swear.”

  
The woman eyed her suspiciously. “You’re not a werewolf?”

  
“What? No!”

  
She narrowed her eyes. “That’s exactly what a werewolf would say.”

  
“What have you got against werewolves?” Renesmee asked, and she sat up, wincing as she felt the back of her head. “Ow.”

  
“That was a pretty strong swing. It should have knocked you out.”

  
“Well, it didn’t,” she said shortly. “Can I get up or are you going to assault me again?”

  
“You did break into my house,” the woman said, but it was good naturedly, and she reached down and pulled her up with surprising strength.

  
Renesmee felt the skin at the back of her head knit together again as she blinked.

  
“If you’re not a burglar, then who are you?”

  
Renesmee deflated. There was no point trying to hide anything. Everyone in Forks knew the Cullen girl with the weird name and the creepily young looking parents.

  
“Renesmee Cullen.”

  
“Oooh,” she said, in understanding. “The half vampire.”

  
“Yeah. Thanks. So who are you?”

  
“I’m the one holding the frying pan, remember,” she said, but she put it down, if only because her towel was slipping. “I’ve got to get dressed. Wait here.”

  
She disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door. Renesmee supposed she could have run away then, but she couldn’t have been bothered. She seemed cool, anyway. If she turned nasty, she could run like hell.  
The woman came back out a few minutes later in flip-flops, shorts and a blue top, her blonde-brown hair damp.

  
“Sit,” she instructed. Renesmee nervously sat on the sofa.

  
“So how did you get lost in the woods? Vampires can sniff their way around like wolves. I would’ve thought they’d find you quickly.”

  
Renesmee shrugged. “I kind of….pissed them off so bad they threw me out.”

  
The woman grinned. It transformed her narrow face. “Oh yeah? How?”

  
“They wanted me to marry this creepy werewolf that’s been in love with me since I was a baby,” she sighed. “I said no, they said get out.”

  
The woman stared at her. “No way. Really? Me too!”

  
“What?” Renesmee gaped. “Jacob imprinted on you too?”

  
“No! It was a different one, same pack, though. Quil.”

  
She grimaced. “It’s so creepy, isn’t it?”

  
“Yep.”

  
“I mean, Quil was my best friend as a kid. And then when I got older I realised he was a bit too friendly. And then on my eighteenth birthday he proposed. My family were all in on it, too. I was out of there.”

  
“It’s my eighteenth, too.”

  
“Christ. I reckon they wait until you’re just about legal.”

  
Renesmee grimaced. “It’s like a paedophile ring.”

  
“It is, actually! People around here are so fucking weird. None of them care.”

  
“I know,” she said, relieved at last that she finally had someone who agreed with her.

  
“So you’re a fellow imprintee,” the woman’s eyes glittered. “Question is, what to do with you? Did Jacob send you to get me with that story?”

  
“For fuck’s sake, no.”

  
“Hm. I’m not sure I believe you, bloodsucker.”


	4. Chapter 4

“You know,” Renesmee said, “I don’t remember hearing your name.”

“I don’t remember saying it,” the other woman replied. “Tell the truth now. I know all your clan is in with the pack, these days.”

“For the last time, nobody sent me, Jacob did actually propose to me like a creep, and I barely know Quil.”

“Hmph,” she said, but something in her voice must have convinced her, because she relaxed. “Well. He’s a creepy son of a bitch, that’s who he is. He still turns up here at least once a week begging me to marry him.”

“How long have you been here?”

“A year. It’s an old family place.”

“You’re here on your own all the time?”

“Nah, I was skipping around different states for about a year before that. Sometimes I see my family, but it’s always about Quil, oh Quil is a lovely boy, oh Quil is heartbroken, oh Quil has his heart set on you.”

She pretended to vomit. “I’m glad when they’re gone. But yeah, most of the time I’m alone. I don’t really mind it.”

“Why do you keep the door unlocked?”

She raised an eyebrow. “I trained with the pack for most of my childhood. I think I’m ready for a few thieves.”

Renesmee remembered the force behind the frying pan and was inclined to agree. “Ow. Yeah.”

“Did I hurt you? I’ve got some first aid stuff.”

“I heal quickly. Vampire thing.”

“Oh. Good.”

There was a silence.

“So,” said Renesmee. “Did you….did your life just like, entirely stop because one creep was in love with you?”

“Pretty much,” she said bitterly. “I can’t live in the town anymore because he always calls and brings flowers. One time he kissed me and wouldn’t stop until I kneed him in the balls.”

“You could try getting a restraining order.”

She snorted. “The cops don’t listen. They’re in with the pack, and anyway, they’re like everyone else.”

She paused. “You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? How everyone in Forks acts like they’re in a shitty movie? How they get so freaked out if something goes even a tiny bit off the script?”

Renesmee nodded slowly. “I didn’t really notice it properly until a few weeks ago.”

“I noticed when I was fifteen. My Geography teacher had a meltdown because one of the cheerleaders was accidentally smart. He couldn’t handle it, she couldn’t handle it, there was pandemonium.”

Renesmee paused. “Um, do you think you could tell me your name, now?”

She looked at her for a moment like she was sussing something out, then said, “Yeah, okay. I’m Claire.”

Claire kicked off her flip-flops and tucked her feet under her on the sofa. “So, do you drink blood, or….?”

“Not human blood. I have to drink animal about once a week. I can manage once every two weeks, but I go a bit crazy.”

“Okay. Good to know that I won’t be murdered,” Claire hesitated. “You have nowhere to go?”

“There’s my grandpa,” she said, but paused. “He….he’s not all there.”

“You mean he’s like everyone else?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but kind of worse. I think something’s actually wrong with him. If you put a football game on he literally won’t notice anything else. He doesn’t even blink, I tested it. One time I drew a moustache on him in marker and he didn’t blink or move at all.”

“That’s pretty bad. Isn’t he….?”

“The chief of police? Yeah. That’s probably why the cops are so bad.”

Claire nodded. “You can stay here for a bit, if you want. The sofa’s pretty comfy.”

“Okay,” she said, not at all sure what she would do after that. “Thanks.”

“This doesn’t mean we’re like best buddies or anything, just so you know. I try not to socialise with bloodsuckers.”

“I’m not a vampire.”

“You’re close to one. How do I know they won’t come looking for you?”

She hesitated. “You….don’t?”

“Aha.”

“But they probably won’t. My grandpa said I wasn’t in the family anymore, and what he says goes, usually.”

She could see it in her mind’s eye. She just knew her family had settled back into their old life. Her dad was probably mournfully playing piano. Her mom was probably reading Shakespere. The others were probably doing….whatever they were doing. But Jacob….Jacob would come looking.

“Jacob will come,” she said to Claire. “I know he will.”

Claire smirked. “There’s a reason why all my doors and windows are set in silver. If that creepy bastard even tries to go near them he’ll burn. They can’t even touch it through thick gloves.”


	5. Chapter 5

When Renesmee woke up in the morning, it was to see Claire at the doorstep.

“No flowers today,” she said. “But I did get some chocolates. And you got a note.”

Renesmee got up and rubbed her eyes, looking down at it.

 _Dear Renesmee,_  
I love you and I will continue to fight for you. I will fight whatever man you have run away to. Quil says you’re staying with Claire but I don’t believe him. I mean, there’s no way two girls could survive in the woods out on their own. It seems I am part of another love triangle.  
With love,  
Jacob.

She ripped it up and threw it in the empty fireplace. She hadn’t brought her phone, and she wondered if he had called that too.  
Claire tasted one of the chocolates, made a face, then threw the rest into the bin without looking. “Breakfast?”

“Sure.”

Renesmee had toast, but Claire had a breakfast of egg, bacon and sausages. Renesmee had never seen an girl eat so much before. All of the girls in Forks picked at their food.

“What?” Claire said, through a mouthful of food. “Why are you staring at me?”

“Nothing,” she said, quickly looking down.

After breakfast, she had a shower, and thought about all her stuff back home, her clothed especially.

“Maybe I should go back,” she said uncertainly. “To get some stuff.”

Claire shrugged. “Your choice.”

“What do you do all day?”

“Oh, you know,” she said vaguely. “I paint. I go for walks. Sometimes I go in for groceries.”

“You must get lonely though,” she pressed. “On your own.”

“You get used to it,” Claire stared out the window. “I used to have a dog, but one day I found it drained of blood out in the woods.”

She might as well have said, “cough, cough.”

Renesmee winced. “I’m so sorry. Sometimes Emmett does stuff like that. I don’t think he even wants to, but it’s like he has to.”

“Well,” Claire said, and she nodded towards the rifle propped against the door. “I’ll be ready for him next time.”

Renesmee stared at her. “What the fuck? You have a gun?”

“It shoots silver bullets that I soak in holy water.”

“Holy water doesn’t work,” she said promptly. “And our skin pushes bullets out without even trying.”

Claire sucked in a breath. “Damn it.”

“Garlic doesn’t work either, and we just tend to glitter in sunlight. But stakes work,” she said, trying to be helpful. “Especially if you cut off the head.”

“I think sticking a sharp bit of wood into somebody’s chest and then cutting off their head would kill anything,” Claire said, and she sighed.

“Well. You need any help getting your stuff?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Some of her stuff was in her grandparent’s house but nobody came to her there and she didn’t bother finding them. She could hear Alice in the next room, muttering about the fanfiction. Renesmee shuddered.

She entered her parent’s cottage through a window that had helpfully been left open. She didn’t bother being quiet. They’d be able to hear her anyway.   
She packed a bag with some clothes, then checked her phone. Fourteen missed calls, all from Jacob. She decided to leave it here. Knowing the creep, he’d track it.

She put in her bathroom stuff, then slowly opened her bedroom door. Bella was sitting at the table reading Shakespere. She looked up calmly as she entered, marking her place.

“Oh hello, sweetheart,” she said. “Did you say yes to Jacob yet?”

“Um,” Renesmee said nervously. “I’m….not going to, Mom.”

Her eyes gleamed red for a moment before settling back to brown. “Well then get out.”

Renesmee nodded shakily and opened the front door, but a heavy shape knocked her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her. A large wolf was sitting on top of her.

“Jacob,” she wheezed. “Get off me.”

He didn’t listen. The wolf’s big pink tongue licked her face and she resisted the urge to scream.

“Jacob,” Bella said, in good humour. “Get off Renesmee.”

Jacob rolled off her, disappeared into a bush and then came out wearing only cut off shorts.

“Did you get my note?”

“Yes. I’m not marrying you, Jacob. I don’t love you.”

His smile disappeared. “But I imprinted on you.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb. This was really getting tiring. “I don’t care.”

“Who is it? Who is the man who is taking you from me?”

“There is no man. No other guy at all.”

“Then why don’t you love me?”

“Because I just don’t! Piss off, Jacob!” Renesmee, anger pounding through her head, slung her bag on her back and ran into the woods. She heard the rip of his shorts as he changed, and then the pounding of paws behind her. When she got back to Claire’s cabin, she streaked through the door and slammed it, hearing the wolf whimper in pain as it ran into silver.

Claire was sitting on the sofa reading a book. “Hard time?” She asked, daintily turning the page.

“You don’t say,” Renesmee went over to the window and glared out to where the wolf was lying outside, just far away enough so that he didn’t touch the door.

She was forced to stay in the house for the whole rest of the day.

“I must say,” Claire commented at dinner. “That is one of the creepiest ones I’ve ever seen. Even Quil got bored waiting outside.”

Jacob had been there for nearly nine hours. He showed no signs of moving. Eventually, when it began to get dark, he skulked off into the woods.

“Good,” Claire said in satisfaction, but Renesmee shook her head.

“He doesn’t give up. He’ll be back, a thousand times worse.”

  
She dreamed about her family that night. It was weird. She was strapped down to a table, and Carlisle, who was a doctor, had a sharp scalpel in hand.

“You should cut out her heart,” her mom told him.

Edward nodded. “Yeah, cut it out and give it to Jacob.”

Renesmee stared up at all of them. “Excuse me? Hello? Do not do that!”

“Shush,” her grandpa said tenderly, and he put a cloth soaked in chemicals over her mouth, just like he’d told her they used to do during the war.

Her dream was interrupted by a sharp sound like a match being lit. Renesmee only heard it because her hearing was extra good. She ignored it, and drifted back into sleep. It wasn’t strange to hear weird noises at home. She’d grown used to it.  
But then her nose twitched as she smelt the acrid smoke, and her eyes opened to see the cabin was on fire. Renesmee sprung to her feet, and saw Jacob out of the window. He gave her a thumbs up, then shouldered through the door.

“I’m here to rescue you!” He yelled over the crackling.

“You set the cabin on fire!” She said in horror.

“Yeah! So I could rescue you!”

She made a noise of impatience, grabbed the bag she’d brought from her parent’s house, then ran into Claire’s room. The smoke was thicker here, dulling her vision. She heard Claire coughing.

“Renesmee!” She heard him yell. “Nessie, you’re walking right into it!”

The bastard had lit the fire in Claire’s room. He still thought she was with a guy. Flames ate at the curtains on the windows as Renesmee shook her.

“Claire! Claire, wake up!”

Claire opened her eyes groggily, but she had human reflexes, and wasted time mumbling and wondering what was going on.

Renesmee made a soft noise of impatience and picked her up in her arms easily, shouldering the window with enough force to make it smash. Claire was choking on the smoke. The ceiling caved in as Jacob ran into the room, but Renesmee jumped out of the window and ran into the woods. She didn’t know where she was running to. The cold night air met her hot face and Claire coughed some more, then managed, as the world blurred around them, “Do you think you could put me down?”

Renesmee slowed. “Oh,” she said. “Yeah. Sorry.”

She gently put Claire on the ground, then took an unnecessary breath. She could see the cabin burning in the distance, the orange flames lighting up the night.

Claire curled her hands into fists. “Bastards! All my stuff’s in there!”

“All gone,” Renesmee said. The effort of the vampiric running was catching up to her. She felt so tired that she was sure she could lie down on the cold hard ground and sleep.

Claire whirled on her, her hair flying, brown eyes burning. “This is all your fault!”

“My fault?”

“Yes!” She snapped. “Everything was okay until you came! Quil isn’t as psychopathic as that!”

“I never wanted Jacob to do this!”

“Yeah,” she said. “Right. Well, you’re a bloodsucker, aren’t you? Humans are like cattle to your lot.”

“What? No!”

Claire strode off into the woods, her arms crossed. She walked fast, but Renesmee could catch up.

“Where are you going? It’s dangerous!”

“I think I can manage it,” she snapped, but just after she spoke, things howled at the edge of the forest.

Renesmee shuddered. “What’s that?”

“It means,” Claire said tightly. “He’s called the pack. The hunt is on.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

Claire turned to her when she had strode several paces. “Do you have to follow me like that?”

“Claire, it’s not safe for a human out here this late.”

“I know these woods. I grew up in them.”

“Doesn’t matter. You don’t have your gun now.”

Claire hesitated a moment, but then she turned around and continued.

“Where are you even going?”

“I don’t know! Somewhere else!”

“You’re going right into the cen –“

Renesmee stopped. She could see the glow of eyes high on the branch of a tree, but it was too late to warn Claire. She heard it tense to jump –

And she met it in mid air, the two of them falling to the ground.

“Renesme!” Claire yelped, and she didn’t waste breath telling her that she’d got the name wrong. Enough teachers had done the same over the years, and anyway, the sharp teeth snapping at her were only just a little distracting.

She didn’t want to kill the lion. She knew she could. She knew she could just sink her fangs into its neck and drain it dry. But the lion didn’t know any better than to attack Claire. It was just hungry.

Renesmee lifted the mountain lion, wincing as its claws caught skin. Her skin was tough, but she knew it would make ribbons of it eventually. As gently as she could, she threw the creature into a pile of soft bushes. She could hear its heart still beating, and it didn’t seem to be very injured. But she could also hear it getting up.

Claire turned to her, her face pale in the moonlight. “What – how –“

“No time!” Renesmee snapped, and she lifted her up again and hurriedly climbed the nearest tree, jumping to another, to another, until she was sure they had left the mountain lion behind.  
She settled on the long thick branch of a tree, and put Claire down.

She blinked at her. “You….lifted a _mountain lion_.”

“Yeah,” she said, exhausted. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

Guilt flashed up on her face. “Thank you. I’m sorry for walking off.”

“I know the creatures. My family hunts here at least once a week. You should have listened.”

“I should have,” she said softly.

She could still hear the soft crackle of the fire in the distance. “It’s Renesmee, by the way.”

“Sorry?”

“Not Re-nes-me. Ru-nehz-mai.”

There was a silence, but the burrowing of creatures in the undergrowth, the soft growl of a mountain lion as it pursued some other prey, the crackle of flames. The world was never properly silent to a vampire. Not unless they were deaf, she guessed.

“Would it offend you if I said you had a crap name?”

“No. I think it sounds like someone clearing their throat.”

The ghost of a smile played on Claire’s lips. “Ha! Yeah. Do you mind if I call you Nez?”

“No. Makes a change from Nessie. That’s what he came up with. I hate it.”

The newly christened Nez looked down at her arms, which were covered in scrapes.

“I should have remembered the first aid kit,” Claire murmured.

“You were half asleep. Human reaction times aren’t the best, anyway,” she ran her hands through her sandy hair, pulling out twigs and dirt.

“How high up are we?” Claire asked.

“Don’t look.”

Claire looked, then swore, holding on to the branch so tightly her knuckles turned white.

“I told you not to look. I could carry you down.”

She thought Claire would argue again, but she didn’t. She clung onto Renesmee’s neck and squeezed her eyes shut as she prepared to jump. She opened her mouth to scream, but it only came as Renesmee’s feet hit the soft forest floor, and then she let go of her, staggered away and swore under her breath as Renesmee’s chest burned.

“Do you jump heights like that all the time?”

She bent to try and get her breath back. “Not all the time. Like – once a year. Maybe.”

“Fucking brutal,” Claire said, and she noticed Renesmee tensing. “What is it?”

“Wolves nearby.”

She swore again. She did a lot of it. “We should find somewhere safe for the night. Somewhere where we’re not likely to be mauled by bears or assaulted by werewolves.”

Renesmee winced. “Yeah. Thanks for that.”

She was so tired that her thoughts were like distant buzzing. She yawned again, and Claire looked at her. “Does that kind of thing take a lot out of you?”

“You could say. I’m pretty strong, but I still have lungs that need to breathe,” Renesmee forced herself to walk alongside Claire.

It was a long time before she got to sleep. An evil bear tried to eat Claire until they managed to lose it, but they found themselves even deeper into the woods.  
But then, by some stroke of distant fanfiction luck, they found an empty, dry cave. Sure, it was hard cold ground, but she was so tired she didn’t care, using her bag as a pillow. But just before Renesmee could sleep, she had to witness Claire beat the crap out of a scorpion that tried to bite her.

It was safe to say that something really wanted Claire dead. Renesmee didn’t even think you could get scorpions in thick North American forest.

When they woke up the next morning, her entire body hurt and she didn’t know why. As she opened her eyes and remembered she was lying on solid hard rock, she understood.  
She stood up, wincing as bones and muscles creaked and hurt, urging them to heal quickly.   
Claire was up, but she explained to Renesmee this was because she hadn’t slept at all.

“Cold hard ground,” she groaned. “In my t-shirt and pyjama pants. Plus I was paranoid something was gonna eat me.”

Renesmee couldn’t hear the wolves anymore, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Claire began to get dressed, borrowing some of her clothes while she turned away and looked out into the early morning.

“We should move,” she said. “Go somewhere else, maybe another State. Do you have family outside Forks?”

“Nope, don’t think so.”

Renesmee paused. “Maybe I could find my other grandma.”

“Huh?”

“I haven’t seen Renee since I was little. Maybe she’ll help.”

She decided not to mention that she hadn’t seen her because Renee was a shitty parent.

“Help how? Kill them for us? That’s the only way they’ll stop. You know that, right?”

“Killing them?” She said in shock.

“Yep,” Claire said bitterly. “Quil told me. Once a werewolf has imprinted, he can’t go back on it. They have to be together. We don’t have a choice.”

“Yes we do. We can run.”

Claire swore.

“What is it?”

“There’s a rattlesnake in my shoe.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

Having spent a lot of time in the woods as children, both Renesmee and Claire knew how to deal with creatures and self-defence. But neither of them had ever seen a rattlesnake before.  
The sound of its rattle was deafening.

“Nez,” Claire whispered, her eyes trained on her shoe, from which it was slithering out, coming right towards her. “What do I do?”

“Um. Stay calm?”

“Stay calm? There’s a rattlesnake right in front of me!”

“Oh fuck. Um,” she tried hard to remember if anyone had ever told her about rattlesnakes. Surely they had. She couldn’t remember anything about rattlesnakes particularly, but she did remember a lesson from Jasper on snakes in general.

“It can’t see you,” she gabbled quickly. “It can only sense where you are from vibrations in the ground.”

“That’s very fucking helpful thanks!”

“Just – just back away slowly, and then I’ll grab you and run.”

Claire began to back away, very slowly. The snake paused, like it was confused. Slowly, Renesmee held the clasp of her bag, and then in a lightning movement she lifted Claire and ran faster than she ever had before. She could hear it whip through the air, but it was far behind, and it was a while before she stopped, wheezing for breath.

“You,” she managed. “Have got to stop making me run like this.”

“Well sorry. I can’t exactly help that every animal ever has suddenly decided to kill me. I didn’t even know you could find scorpions and rattlesnakes here.”

“Neither did I,” Renesmee said, and she forced her breath to calm. “Okay. We need to move again. Are you hungry?”

“Yes. And thirsty.”

“There’s a river soon, I can smell it. And if it gets bad enough, we can hunt,” she swallowed, trying not to think of killing animals. Luckily she was distracted from this thought by a heavy tree branch almost hitting Claire as it fell.

Another problem presented itself after they found the river. It was clean clear water, but Renesmee’s thirst didn’t disappear, making her realise it was the other thirst. Oh shit. She hadn’t brought any blood packs from her grandparent’s house. How long was it since she’d had one?

She tried to remember, and got exactly six days. That was fine, she told herself. Six days wasn’t much at all. She had lasted for almost three weeks, before. But that had been during a terrible snow, when the weather was too cold for animals, and since the winter was over, the freezer was almost empty. She had gone delusional for want of blood. Her family had had to lock themselves away to keep from biting her. A lump rose in her throat. They had cared about her, in their own way. It was just when she tried to do anything against what they wanted that showed a problem.

Claire washed her face with the water, then spoke, looking uncomfortable. “This is a bit weird. I don’t know if you even…..you know, since you’re a half vampire….”

“Yes?” Renesmee frowned.

Claire blushed. It was the first time she’d seen her show any sign of embarrassment. It was a cute flush, a gentle pink in her tanned cheeks. “Do you have any tampons or pads?”

“Oh!” She said, and grabbed her bag. “Oh yes, I do, sorry.”

Claire disappeared behind a rock, and when she reappeared, she washed her hands in the river and looked even more awkward. “Are you sure we should go to your grandma?”

She sighed. “It might be the best option we have. You’re absolutely sure you’ve got no family outside Forks?”

“Yeah. My family mostly stay by the rules of the book. We’re part of the Makah tribe, so we don’t really leave the area. My sister was going to go to college in Washington once, but then she met this guy so she decided to stay here.”

Renesmee sighed. “Florida it is, then,” she said gloomily. “I do tend to shine in bright sun, you know, so you’d better be ready.”

 

  
It was getting dark by the time they reached the border. There was a full moon tonight, and it shone down in a bright silver pool on the forest floor. They were nearly out of it. Renesmee could hear the traffic on the roads in the distance.

“Couldn’t you catch something for us to eat?” Claire asked.

“No,” Renesmee said, then hesitated. “Well, yeah I could. But I can’t. I hate hunting. I’m a vegetarian.”

Claire snorted. “A vegetarian vampire?”

“I’m not a vampire,” she said irritably. “I keep telling you.”

It had been a long day. Claire had almost died five times. She was now keeping count. As well as that, a wolf had almost caught them. Just in time, Renesmee had jumped up into a tree with Claire, but it was clear it could smell them somewhere nearby. She knew who it was, too, by its tawny fur. Seth.

Claire poked something on the ground with a stick. Renesme could smell her blood, could hear it thundering inside her veins. It put her on edge. “Couldn’t you even find some food?”

“Find some? Where? Do you think there’ll just be a plate of fries hiding behind a rock or something? Jesus Christ, Claire, this is a forest.”

“I know,” she said. “I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for your psychopathic boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend! I thought we were the same, Claire. They’re after both of us.”

“They’re after you,” she said, and she got to her feet and brushed her jeans down. Renesmee stared at her.

“Where are you going? You’ll get lost.”

“I can find my way around,” she snapped, but Renesmee could see she was in unfamiliar territory.

“Fine then,” she snapped back. “Piss off and get yourself eaten by another bear.”

She wanted Claire to say something, to do something, anything, but all she did was stride off back into the woods, until the trees and darkness swallowed her up.


End file.
